Colombian president calls female journalists ‘mafia puppets’, sparks outrage

New Delhi: Press freedom groups are attacking Colombian President Gustavo Petro for calling female reporters “mafia puppets,” despite Colombia’s reputation as one of the most dangerous countries in South America to be a journalist.

Petro made this comment on August 30 during the inauguration of Iris Marin, Colombia’s new human rights ombudsman and the first woman to hold the position, without a hint of irony.

🇨🇴 Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called all female journalists “mafia puppets” (Las muñecas de la mafia, a reference to the title of a telenovela), after accusing them of being dictatorial and downright “rotten.”

What a woman hating prick. https://t.co/VhGsUYf01T

— Kat Aurora 🇻🇪🇦🇷 (@Katauroraaa) September 1, 2024

Petro has consistently responded sharply to media criticism since becoming Colombia’s first leftist president, accusing journalists of colluding with armed groups, business leaders or other powerful figures. Some see the latest incident as evidence that he has crossed a line, particularly in a country where dozens of female reporters are threatened and attacked each year.

Petro branded female journalists as ‘mafia puppets’

In his speech, Petro attacked the “female journalists of power,” calling them “puppets of the mafia.” He said those journalists had strongly criticized the 2019-2021 protests against the right-wing government that preceded him.

He was a legislator at the time and joined those demonstrations. It is not known why he targeted female reporters.

The criticism came quickly and Petro tried to walk back his comment by explaining that he was referring to “female journalists from the establishment, hired by dark forces,” but that explanation failed to calm the outrage.

Later, Marín added that there is no place for stigmatizing female journalists in Colombia, saying: “Nothing justifies it.”

Press freedom groups criticize Colombian president over his comments

RSF described Colombia as “one of the most dangerous countries on the continent for journalists”, with two journalists already murdered there this year.

The FLIP Press Freedom Foundation noted that comments made by President Petro were used to justify online content that was violent or reinforced gender stereotypes.

The foundation reports that 171 cases of threats and attacks on female reporters have been reported since last year, but no details have been released.

A petition was filed on Tuesday with the Council of State, Colombia’s highest court for administrative affairs, asking to force Petro to apologize for what the Council called the comment about the “puppets of the mafia.”

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